Where has EBHR come from and what does it mean? Rob Briner

A little history The terms “evidence-based management” (EBMgt) and “evidence-based human resources” (EBHR) relatively new (5-10 years) The ideas behind evidence-based practice are not Emerged most recently in relation to medicine around 1990 BMJ editorials Only 15–20% medicine evidence-based Many practices do more harm than good

Why do we need evidence-based anything? Evidence-Based...criminal justice, education, policy-making, nursing, organizational psychology, social care, mummy Our use of evidence and our ability to make decisions systematically are limited for many reasons including: Our ability to process and use information The quick fix problem The management fad problem

The quick fix problem [1] A quick fix is a ‘solution’ to an ill- or non-defined ‘problem’ which Focuses on style and presentation not content Is always slower than we hoped Is not evaluated Usually doesn’t work Is followed by another quick fix Everybody forgets and becomes subject to organizational amnesia

The quick fix problem [2] Why do quick fixes? Can be career-enhancing for managers (e.g., issue selling, kick-ass CEOs) Speed is often valued over accuracy Heavily sold and marketed Are we all looking for quick and easy solutions?

The management fad problem [1] The fads that time forgot Scientific Management/Taylorism, Business Process Reengineering, Excellence, Total Quality Management, Learning Organizations The fads waiting to be forgotten Talent Management, Management development, Emotional Intelligence, Employee Engagement General concerns that they waste time, prevent analysis and are potentially destructive

The management fad problem [2] Fads (in management, HR, academia, politics, life) appear to be attractive, compelling and irresistible Promise to deliver a lot and fast New and shiny and pretty Will make everything alright, help contain anxieties around intractable problems Help user feel effective and cutting edge Some bits of some ‘fads’ may be useful sometimes in some contexts

The pressure to adopt fads [1] And there we see the power of any big managerial idea [or fad or fashion]. It may be smart, like quality, or stupid, like conglomeration. Either way, if everybody's doing it, the pressure to do it too is immense. If it turns out to be smart, great. If it turns out to be stupid, well, you were in good company and most likely ended up no worse off than your competitors. Your company's board consists mostly of CEOs who were probably doing it at their companies. How mad can they get?

The pressure to adopt fads [2] The true value of conventional management wisdom is not that it's wise or dumb, but that it's conventional. It makes one of the hardest jobs in the world, managing an organization, a little easier. By following it, managers everywhere see a way to drag their sorry behinds through another quarter without getting fired. And isn't that, really, what it's all about? (Colvin, 2004, Fortune)

We are sometimes not very evidence-based Act on whim (though intuition can be important for some decisions) Copy other people who appear successful (benchmarking) Think there is one ideal way (best practice) Let the ‘solution’ frame and define our ‘problem’ and create need (kitchen gadgets) Want to fit in and be as cool as everyone else (fashion)

We are sometimes more evidence-based Try to gather data and information Invest time and effort in trying to understand and apply it Question our and others’ assumptions and logic Are sceptical about what appear to be fads

What is evidence-based HR? EBHR is about making decisions through the conscientious, explicit, and judicious use of four sources of information: practitioner expertise and judgment, evidence from the local context, a critical evaluation of the best available research evidence, and the perspectives of those people who might be affected (Briner, Denyer, Rousseau, 2009) Its sole purpose is to help us make better decisions through more and more systematic use of evidence

Evidence-based decision Example here of reported high absence levels

Managerial expertise and judgement Have I seen this before? What happened? What are my beliefs about the causes of absence? What’s worked in the past and why? What are my hunches? What do I think are the causes and possible solutions? How relevant and applicable is my experience?

Organizational evidence What actually is the absence rate? What type of absences and where? What are local explanations for absence? What absence management is currently in place and is it working? What do managers think is going on? What are the possible costs and benefits of interventions? Is it worth intervening? What is happening or what is going to happen that might be affecting absence?

Stakeholders’ concerns How do employees feel about the proposed interventions? Do they see downsides or unintended negative consequences? How do managers feel about these interventions? How practical or workable do those responsible for implementing the interventions feel? What alternative explanations and proposed solutions do others have?

Best available scientific evidence What are the average rates of absence in my sector and location – is the absence rate here ‘high’? What does systematically reviewed research evidence suggest to be the major causes of absence? How relevant and applicable is that evidence here? What does research evidence from systematic reviews suggest as effective interventions? How well might the interventions the research describes work here?

Best available evidence? From systematic reviews of evidence (NOT the opinions of academics or experts) Systematic review is a method for identifying all the relevant and accessible evidence on a given question and pulling it together to establish what is known and not known the quantity and quality of evidence Many systematic reviews in medicine and social policy – few in management and HR

What makes for strong evidence? What is considered strong evidence always depends on the question asked

So why isn’t all HR EBHR already? Ambivalence amongst researchers and practitioners about value of evidence (Weird) belief that only strong unambiguous evidence worth knowing Quick fix and fad pressure A range of misconceptions about EBMgt/HR

What EBMgt is and is not Briner, Denyer and Rousseau, 2009

So what is EBHR? A set of methods and approaches for identifying, gathering, critically appraising a range of different types of information to help inform and this make better decisions in terms of the decision process, outcome and learning